You may have noticed that your memory today is not the same as when you were 12 or 13 years old. Information slips out of our heads, we try hard to remember the shopping list and facts from years ago start to fade away. Is there anything you can do to improve your memory?
Yes! Neuroscientists still do not have an exact answer and still do not understand how the brain really works and how we can “rejuvenate” it. The instructions are to physical activity and mental, drink water and eat properly.
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At this point, scientists at Tohoku University in Japan have made some progress. There is a vegetable that can significantly improve the memory of people over 60: wasabi.
Researchers at the Japanese university evaluated 72 volunteers aged between 60 and 80 years old – all healthy – to study the effects of wasabi on memory. The group was randomly divided into two for the study.
The wasabi (the same one that accompanies your Sushi!) has a bioactive compound that is very important for its anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties: 6-methylsulfinyl heryl or 6-MSITC. He was the big star of this study.
Half of the group of people took tablets with 0.8 milligrams of 6-MSITC for 12 weeks before bed. The rest took a placebo.
At the end of the study, researchers reassessed the volunteers' cognitive functions: speed of thinking, attention, short-term memory, working memory, episodic memory and functions executives.
They compared the results with those made at the beginning of the research and concluded that the group that took wasabi tablets performed better. In other words, they had an improvement in terms of memory (episodic, work and association tasks).
However, there was no significant evidence of improvement in reasoning, attention and processing speed.
Research suggests that the 6-MSITC in wasabi may alleviate neuroinflammation in the hippocampus. This protects the brain and cells against oxidative damage and then improves and strengthens neuronal connectivity.
Next time, don't ignore the wasabi to arrive at your Japanese food festival. It can be very beneficial in your old age.
Graduated in Social Communication from the Federal University of Goiás. Passionate about digital media, pop culture, technology, politics and psychoanalysis.
